The IRL "God of War" is sci-fi royalty — and you've probably seen his iconic mug before.
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00:00The IRL God of War is sci-fi royalty, and you've probably seen his iconic mug before.
00:06The 2022 Game Awards was a big night for God of War Ragnarok and for Kratos' voice actor,
00:15Christopher Judge, in particular.
00:17Along with Elden Ring, the God of War sequel dominated the nominations and racked up several
00:22big wins.
00:23Among these was the award for Best Performance, which Christopher Judge accepted in a long
00:27speech that fans absolutely loved.
00:30The speech was one of the wildest moments of the night, and brought Judge some much-deserved
00:34attention.
00:35Games and the gaming community mean so much to this world in the course of dreams and
00:41escapism and…"
00:42While Judge may have been known to hardcore God of War fans before his speech, appearing
00:47on stage as himself and speaking in his regular, slightly less gravelly voice was a great moment
00:52and, for many, the introduction to the star.
00:55Some fans both before and after the Game Awards may also have felt that Judge looked
01:00or sounded familiar.
01:01This isn't that surprising, as there's much more to Judge than just God of War.
01:06Indeed, he's had a long and successful career as an actor that stretches all the way back
01:10to the 90s.
01:11Now let's check out this equilibrium principle.
01:15It's your funeral, man.
01:16Judge got his start in small roles on some big shows of the early 90s.
01:20He began his career in an episode of the popular series MacGyver, playing a high school student
01:25and football player who just doesn't see the point of learning about physics.
01:29In a very 90s scene, MacGyver, played by Richard Dean Anderson, shows Daron just how cool science
01:35can be.
01:36Judge went on to land minor roles in other popular shows of the era, including 21 Jump
01:41Street and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
01:44He would continue working in smaller roles and lesser-known shows through the 90s, until
01:48finally getting his big break in 1997.
01:52This role saw him playing a major character in a hit series.
01:55It also reunited him with Richard Dean Anderson, the star of the show that began Judge's acting
02:00career.
02:01In 1997, Judge began playing Teal'c, the renegade alien in Stargate SG-1.
02:06The television follow-up to the hit sci-fi movie, SG-1 developed a significant fan base
02:11and ran for ten seasons.
02:13Judge played a major part in developing the character he portrayed, offering insight to
02:18the writers and pushing for certain traits.
02:20"...he will sometimes leave behind the means to destroy the Conqueror."
02:23"...you think it might be a booby trap?"
02:26"...booby?"
02:28It was Judge who wanted Teal'c to speak little and appear as a stoic figure.
02:33He also convinced the showrunners to let him wear eye shadow, arguing that some feminine
02:37features would add mystery to the character and show that the Jaffar didn't conform to
02:42human views on gender, according to Gizmodo.
02:45While his character was stern and quiet, Judge was the complete opposite on set.
02:50As Judge revealed in an interview, he became the cast prankster, going so far as duct-taping
02:55another cast member to a tree and saran-wrapping people's toilets.
02:59He was also not afraid to speak up for his beliefs and principles on the show.
03:04Judge pushed for greater and more positive representation for people of color on SG-1.
03:09He even wrote several episodes after being encouraged to author stories that addressed
03:14some of his concerns.
03:15While Stargate SG-1 was his primary focus from 1997 to 2007, Judge also found time to
03:22perform other roles, including breaking into voice acting.
03:26From 2000 to 2003, Judge voiced Magneto on X-Men Evolution.
03:31The cartoon that won over fans by mixing comic book action with teen drama tended to focus
03:36more on the relationships of the young mucins under the care of Professor X.
03:40But there was still a need for good old-fashioned villains from time to time, and Judge delivered.
03:46This wasn't his last voice acting role, of course.
03:48Even before God of War, Judge lent his voice to other shows like He-Man and The Masters
03:53of the Universe, and even got into voicing video games with the Def Jam series and Turok.
03:58This all led up to the voice acting role that could define Judge's career, possibly even
04:02eclipsing Stargate SG-1.
04:05In 2018, Sony revived the celebrated God of War franchise, with a new setting and a new
04:10take on its protagonist.
04:11Christopher Judge got the opportunity to play an older and wiser Kratos in the world of
04:16Norse mythology, and made the role his own.
04:18When I came to these shores, I chose to live as a man.
04:22But the truth is, I was born a god."
04:26Amazingly, Judge almost didn't go after the role, as he lacked interest in returning to
04:30video games.
04:31But the team won him over with the promise that God of War would have a real story and
04:35well-developed characters.
04:37Speaking on the red carpet of the 2019 BAFTA Awards, Judge explained that, after he took
04:41the role, he was more intimidated than anything to take over an already established and celebrated
04:47persona.
04:48Despite all these misgivings, he pushed through, and helped create something special.
04:52God of War proved a massive hit, winning Game of the Year at the 2018 Game Awards and earning
04:58Judge a nomination for his performance.
05:00He went on to win the award for his performance in the sequel, giving an acceptance speech
05:05that stole the show and cemented Judge in the hearts of gamers.